


The One That Got Away

by AngelwithMidnightWings



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 21:59:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14757072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelwithMidnightWings/pseuds/AngelwithMidnightWings
Summary: Regina and Emma are destined for each other... just not in every reality





	The One That Got Away

**Author's Note:**

> *Regular text-present, or the main reality  
> *Bold text- the past  
> *Italicized text- a different reality
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this story based loosely off Katy Perry's 'the one that got away' as it is titled
> 
> Let me know what you think, I love hearing your thoughts.

“I’m Emma,” the blonde says, grinning, elbows leaning against the diner counter.

Regina’s friends are laughing in the booth where she just came from, causing the brunette to look their way. When she turns back, the blonde is smirking down at her.

“Regina,” she replies. Her eyes sparkle as they travel along the blonde’s fit form. “You must be new in town.”

Emma gestures towards the back with a thumb, “I know Ruby, once I graduated her Granny offered me a job.”

“Lucky Storybrooke,” Regina murmurs, winking when Emma catches her eye. “We were going to the drive-in later, if you’re interested,” she continues, nodding to her group of friends.

“I might just take you up on that,” the blonde replies, with her own wink. 

Granny’s voice calls Emma’s name down from the other end of the counter, and the blonde’s curls settle around her shoulders.

“Shame about this thing called work,” Emma drawls lazily. “I’ll catch you later.” She winks and disappears into the back.

Regina stares after her a moment, long enough for her friend Mal to come up behind her and sling an arm around her shoulders.

“Someone is giving me a run for my money on being the hottest blonde in town,” the other blonde jokes. 

Regina hums in agreement, meeting Mal’s eyes. “She may just.”

…

_“Do you, Emma Swan, take this woman to be your wife?”_

_Emma smiles as she gazes into the brunette’s eyes, her gaze slips down to the ring the other woman is about to slip onto her finger. “I do,” she says teary eyed._

_Regina chuckles, her own eyes filled with tears as she reaches up to wipe away the tear that drops from Emma’s eye._

_“Continue,” Regina says throatily to the officiant._

_He smiles at the both of them. “Do you, Regina Mills, take Emma Swan to be your wife?”_

_“Of course,” Regina say immediately, already beginning to lean forward._

_Everyone in attendance chuckles as Emma meets her halfway and the officiant says, “well, I guess you know what to do next.”_

_Both women are crying as they kiss each other tenderly, Emma wrapping her arms around the brunette and sweeping her into a dip._

_“I love you,” she murmurs, when she pulls away to breathe._

_Regina tucks a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “I love you too, Em.”_

…

“Nice ride,” Emma says, sliding into the passenger seat of Regina’s car, startling the brunette.

She jumps and turns to glare at the other girl. The blonde continues, “Is this a Mustang?”

“Don’t tell me you can’t even recognize a Mercedes,” Regina replies with a smirk.

“A classy ride,” Emma murmurs. “This is quite the little town.”

Regina hums, leaning back in her seat. 

Emma leans over the centre consul, blue-green eyes rove over Regina’s features. Her eyes settle on the brunette’s lips, which are painted a bold matte purple. “I think this town had quite a precious hidden gem.”

Regina’s breath catches when the blonde leans in even more.

“I’m gonna kiss you now,” she murmurs, breath whispering across the brunette’s lips.

Regina nods, surging forward to meet Emma’s lips.

Needless to say they barely acknowledged the movie.

…

_“What should we name him,” Regina asks in awe as she cradles their newborn son in her arms. Emma is exhausted but manages a smile, her hand holding onto the sleeve of brunette’s sweater._

_“I was thinking,” Emma begins hesitantly. “We should name him after your father. I mean, I never knew mine but yours was an amazing man.”_

_Regina’s eyes are full of tears when she turns to the blonde. “Are you serious?”_

_“Deadly,” Emma replies, a soft smile playing out across her lips._

_Regina leans over to kiss Emma, careful of the baby in her arms, before stroking his cheek gently._

_“Hi, Henry, my little prince.”_

…

“Happy birthday, Emma,” Regina says, pressing a kiss to Emma’s lips.

“Try not to move,” the artist scolds gently.

Emma winces when he hits a tender spot. He wipes away the excess ink and sits back. “How do you like it?”

The blonde examines her wrist, the lyon flower tattoo looks raw but well done. It matches the new tattoo on the brunette’s shoulder blade, right near her spine. “It’s perfect,” she whispers in awe, looking up at her girlfriend. 

Regina leans down for a kiss with a smile. “It’s perfect,” Regina echoes.

…

“Quiet, or you’ll get us caught,” Regina giggles, clutching the neck of the bottle.

Emma chuckles, clutching another in her own hands.

They are sneaking up to the roof of the mansion through the attic. Emma stumbles over a box and hisses in pain, rubbing her shin.

Regina just hushes her, tugging her along towards the opening.

They settle into lawn chairs they had brought up the year before and crack open the bottles, meeting each other briefly for a kiss.

“One day, Regina, it’s just gonna be you and me,” Emma begins, swallowing from the bottle as pause.

“Is that so,” Regina replies, smirking at the blonde.

Emma nods, blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders. “Maybe a kid or two. And a dog,” she says adamantly, looking at Regina with a smug smile. “Definitely a dog.”

Regina’s smile is wistful. “Sounds like a perfect fairy tale.”

Emma’s eyes shine as she glances at Regina. “It could be our future. Just imagine it.”

When she looks away, she misses Regina’s soft frown, and the brunette takes a healthy swig from the bottle in her hand.

…

“What are you saying,” Emma whimpers, arms wrapping around herself.

Regina stands rigid in front of her. “I’m leaving.”

“I’ll come with you, you don’t have to do this, ‘Gina.”

The brunette shakes her head and turns back to the suitcase on their bed, neatly stacking folded clothes into it. “It would be best if we went our separate ways,” Regina replies blinking away her own tears.

“You promised,” Emma growls, striding towards the brunette and yanking the clothes out of her hands.

Regina looks up with a frown, haughtily tapping her heeled foot against the wood floor.

“You promised it would be you and me in the end. Was it all a lie?” Her voice cracks, blue-green eyes shimmering and red-rimmed from the tears still falling.

“We were just out of high school when I said those things,” Regina murmurs in response, voice soft but with an edge of irritation. “We didn’t know what we were doing.”

“It didn’t matter,” Emma hisses. “We were doing it together.”

“I have a plane to catch,” Regina says simply, turning back to her suitcase and zipping it up, sans the clothes Emma still clutched in white-knuckled hands. “Goodbye Emma,” she whispers as she leaves, hoping the blonde will turn, and look at her one last time. She slams the door with a frown when the blonde doesn’t move.

Emma doesn’t budge until she can no longer hear Regina’s heels, clicking against the floor of their small apartment, her breath finally releasing with a shaky sob when the elevator dings as it closes.

She collapses onto the bed they had shared until a few nights ago.

She falls asleep when the crying finally exhausts her. Her dreams haunted by the brunette, and what their life could have been.

…

**“I got you something,” Emma says, a year and a half before Regina would leave. She holds out the box. “It’s not official, not an engagement ring,” Emma begins as she opens the box, showing off a dainty silver band. “A promise ring. A promise that one day, we can make it official. You and me. Us against the world.”**

**Regina breaks into a wide smile. “Of course,” Regina says.**

**“Great,” Emma replies, wrapping her up in strong arms, and kissing her soundly on the mouth.**

**Regina takes the ring between her fingers once the blonde has let her go. “It’s beautiful.”**

**“It hardly compares when I have you to look at all day,” Emma teases with a wink.**

**Regina rolls her eyes and kisses Emma again. She reaches around to unclasp her neckless and slips the ring onto it.**

**“Forever near my heart.” She clasps the ring over her heart, smiling down at it. She looks up to meet Emma’s eyes, and presses a kiss to her cheek. “I love you, Em.”**

**The blonde squeezes her a little tighter. “I love you too, Gina.”**

…

“Hey, Emma,” Ruby says, over the phone line.

“Rubes, what’s up?” Emma asks, catching the slight somber tone in the other woman’s voice.

Emma hears the brunette sigh. “She’s back in Storybrooke, was at the Rabbit Hole last night.”

“How great for her,” Emma replies, with a sigh, picking at a piece of lint from her shirt.

Ruby continues hesitantly, “did you know she got her tattoo removed?”

Emma rolls her eyes. “Which one?”

“Yours.”

The blonde’s breath catches. 

“Emma, you still there?”

“I’ve gotta go, Rubes. Thanks for calling, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Em—“

Emma shuts her cell, cutting the brunette off and holds in a sob. The woman she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, was fine without her. She was actively forgetting her.

She would always be the one that got away.

…

_“Hey, Gina,” Emma says, walking into the kitchen, she presses a kiss against her wife’s cheek._

_“Hello, dear,” Regina replies, glancing up from her computer but still typing away. “Henry should be home in the next few weeks, he sent a gift ahead, it’s in the living room.”_

_Emma’s eyes light up at the mention of their son, the twenty year old currently on vacation with some college friends._

_She places her gun and badge on the kitchen island and moves to go into the living room._

_She stops short, the smile still wide on her face as she sees what the gift actually was._

_“Hey ma,” Henry says, laughing._

_“Hen,” Emma says, a little teary eyed. She lunges forward to wrap her arms around him._

_He chuckles into her hair. “I was missing home,” he admits softly._

_Regina voice comes from behind Emma, “hey, we aren’t complaining,” she says._

_“I love you guys,” Emma murmurs into the room. “I’m glad to say you guys are mine.”_

_Henry replies with a smirk worthy of his brunette mother, “You can’t get rid of us.”_

_…_

“ _You’ve reached the voice mailbox of_ Regina Mills _. Leave a message after the tone, and they’ll get back to you as soon as possible_.”

“Hey, Regina,” Emma begins hesitantly. “It’s Emma. It’s been a while, I was just wondering if it was too late…”

“ _Your message has been recorded._ ” 


End file.
